Merry Christmas!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This was the first year we were able to spend Christmas all together as a family. We only have the kids every other Christmas. As you can imagine, we were super busy. We were suppose to spend Christmas Eve with Niel's sister and her family. However, the roads were too bad to drive up to Ogden and we got a late start. So, we went to the grocery store and bought some steaks... YUM! After our delicious dinner, the kids put on the nativity scene. It was super cute. We got to bed at a reasonable time. We woke up extremely early as we had plans to go to Grandma and Grandpa Dean's house for our traditional Christmas breakfast. We were up by 6:00 am to do Santa stuff. The kids were excited and happy. They must have been pretty good this past year. We got to breakfast just in time to see Grandpa before he had to head to work. We spent a good part of the morning at Grandma's house with her and Aunt Ang, Uncle Pat and Arianna. We sure do miss them!! We left their house to take a quick nap before heading to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks!" The kids loved the show. After the movie, we ran home to pick up the dog and headed to Grandma and Grandpa J's for their traditional Christmas hike. It was cold outside! The kids enjoyed it. They even saw some deer and elk. We ate Roast Beef Sandwiches for dinner and then headed back home. The kids were finally able to play with some of their presents. All and all, it was a great day! One of the best Christmas's ever!!

Ice Skating!

Garrett did really well skating too... especially with his age. As long as someone would hold onto his had for balance, he wasn't afraid to skate quick and fast. He looked better than some of the adults on the ice. He is thinking he might want to sign up for Hockey.


"No Way! I am not getting on that ice!" Zander liked to wear his skates, but absolutely refused to get on the ice in them.


Grandma and Arianna came skating with us too. Grandma was so nice to hold our hands and help us keep our balance so we wouldn't fall down.


Conner was an excellent skater and had a great time! He fell down a few times, but hopped right back up!


Stocks is a very determined skater. He never gave up, even with all the falls!! I was very proud of him for sticking with it, and even more happy he had such a good time!


Yicks! Are are starting to fall down!! HELP us !!!!



Isn't this just the cutest picture of Brooke and Brynlee? It was so much fun having them there!

Zander's stage fright!

Zander had his very first Christmas singing performance with his pre-schoold class. We all were very excited to go as this would be the first outward performance for him. It was his moment to shine. But wouldn't you know it, he got stage fright. He didn't even sing a note, except for when Santa came out. Then he got a little worried Santa would see him not singing. Look at his face when Santa takes a look at him! Too funny!!

Christmas Traditions

My favorite part of this holiday season is all the wonderful Christmas traditions we have in our family.

Our tree is decorated with ornaments that are hand made... well, about 95% of the tree is decorated with handmade ornaments. Even ones from when I was a little girl. This year we made jingle bell reindeer. They turned out really cute! We even put our tree up early.... the weekend before Thanksgiving! It got us in the Christmas spirit just a little earlier this year!



The temple lights were beautiful this year! We rode up on Trax's to Salt Lake. The kids always enjoy the exciting ride! The weather was perfect! Just chilly enough to remind us that it is Christmas time, but not so cold that we were freezing our little bottoms off. There weren't many people out that night because of the storm earlier in the day. Light crowds are a big plus for me! We did stand in line for over an hour for dinner. Even worse then standing in line for so long was the fact that it was McDonald's. There is a lot of construction going on in downtown Salt Lake, so there weren't many options for dinner to choose from. The kids were all very patient and good though... and ate those delicious hamburger faster then I have ever seen them eat!!









Ho! Ho! Ho!! We love to visit Santa. This year, Grandma and Grandpa took us to Albertson's. They had a great Santa!! He was holly and jolly. We got to see Grandpa at work. We didn't have to wait in any long crazy lines, and we could take as many pictures as we wanted and didn't have to pay for any pictures!! I think visiting Santa at Albertson's might become a regular Christmas tradition!







One of my favorite things to do with the kids, is spending a night decorating gingerbread houses! I wonder if it is all the candy that I love or watching the kids be creative and see what they are going to make!!




Zander had a great time with his Gingerbread house. He dumped as much candy onto his sweet creation as possible It was his first year doing his very own. He did a pretty good job and enjoyed using his creative imagination!

Guess who I met?

Today I went to the temple. I was sitting in the lobby waiting for Melanie and Jonathan. I was slightly early. There was many things to watch... young, happy couples getting married. A family with two older boys getting sealed together. A bunch of young 12 year old boys coming out, just finishing up baptisms for the dead. I was sitting back, watching it all. Everyone so happy, which is why I like to just sit and watch at the temple.... everyone is filled with happy smiles.
As I was sitting there, President Monson walked out of the temple. I looked at him for a while, watching him, trying to figure out if it was really him. Then he spoke, and I knew it was him. He was walking around to all the people, shacking hands and asking for names. He had a comment every now and again and even a few stories. It was very intriguing to watch. I love this man! He has been around since I was a child, and I have loved hearing his messages since I can remember. I was hoping for a chance to get to shake his hands, but wasn't sure if he would have time to get around to everyone. I got on my feet and made my way over to where he was. I figured it was a once in a lifetime chance to really meet a man like him. After all, I am 31 years old and haven't run into that kind of opportunity yet. As he came around to me, I was getting a little excited! I could feel the spirit about him and even got a little teary eyed. He stopped right in front of me. I extended my hand out to give him a shake. I have been known to have a firm hand shake, and I think being a little nervous, I tend to be even a little more firm. He shook my hand and I introduced myself. "Well Sister Oscarson, that is one strong hand shake you have there. That is good. It is a sign of confidence. I also see you have a dimple. This is good too. I used to have one in my day. Did you know, I hear it is a sign of intelligence." I just smiled and said, "I will have to remember that." He smiled at me and moved on down the line. Continuing to meet everyone there. All were anxious to shake his hand. It was an incredible experience. One I will not forget. I was glad I got there early!

A new addition!

Amy, Niel, Conner, Megan, Stockton, Garrett and Zander would like to announce the addition to our Family. Rockstar, or Rocky, is the newest, smallest member of our little family. What a furry little ball of quiet he is. He rarely makes a peep, and when he does it is because he is lonely and wants a little attention. He is very cuddly and loves to be scratched on his tummy. He is even almost potty trained... yeah! We adopted Rocky from a woman who had passed away. She had many dogs, but kept them in kennels most of their lives. Rocky enjoys being out and about. When we first brought him home, he wasn't sure what to do with all the roaming freedom, but he is getting used to it and I think he even likes us.... yes, he even likes Zander and Zander loves him. He has won all our hearts, even Niel's. He sure is a beautiful addition.